Two More New England Patriots Players Refuse To Visit The White House

Kudos to them for taking a stand against the Trump administration.

The number of players for the New England Patriots who have declined to visit the White House after winning last Sunday’s Super Bowl has continued to grow, as two additional players have come forward with their decision not to visit.

The Huffington Post is reporting that New England Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount and defensive end Chris Long have joined fellow teammates Don’t’a Hightower (linebacker,) Martellus Bennett (tight end) and Devin McCourty (defensive back) in refusing to visit the Trump White House.

The players have each expressed their reasons for deciding not to attend the customary visit to the White House that Super Bowl champions normally take. Some say they don’t feel welcome in Trump’s White House, while others are simply over visiting.

The Huffington Post has a summary of the players’ responses to declining the visit:

Later Thursday afternoon, Blount told “The Rich Eisen Show” that he too would skip the visit.

“I just don’t feel welcome into that house,” Blount said. “I’m just gonna leave it at that.”

Bennett and McCourty also said Trump was the reason they won’t visit the White House with their teammates. Hightower, who visited the White House after winning a national championship at Alabama but skipped the Patriots visit in 2015 ― when Barack Obama was still president ― said his decision had nothing to do with politics, but that he had “been there, done that.” Long didn’t give a reason for his decision and didn’t respond to an interview request made through the Patriots.

The list of players refusing to attend doesn’t appear to be over just yet, as running back James White has not yet decided on whether he will make the trip with the rest of his teammates, simply stating that he would “wait till the time comes and decide then.”